Dowel for concrete roads



, Patented Nov 11 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Down]. FOR CONCRETE nosns' Francis 0. Heltzel, New Kensington, Pa. Application February 6, 1939, Serial No. 254,788

2 Claims.

corresponding spaced tongues upon the other.

side of the joint, locking the slabs upon the opposite sides of the longitudinal joints together so as to prevent relative vertical movement thereof.

Another object is to provide a simple and novel manner of connecting these key locks or pans to stakes for supporting the pans in position for pouring of the concrete.

A further object is to provide a simple construction of dowel bar arranged to 'be supported by each key lock or pan.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from the drawing and following description or which may be later referred to may be attained by constructing the improved dowel in the manner illustrated in the accom panying drawing in which Figure l is a top plan view of a section of road form showing a plurality of the improved key locks or pans with dowel bars mounted in position for pouring of the concrete;

Fig. 2, an enlarged elevation 'of one of the key locks or pans with the stake for supporting the same showing 'a dowel bar carried thereby and a portion of the road form; 1

Fig. 3, an enlarged transverse sectional vie through the key lock or pan and the upper portion of the stake supporting the same;

Fig. 4, a transverse sectional view taken as on the line 4-4, Fig. 2; I

Fig. 5, a fragmentary perspective of the central portion of one of the improved key locks or pans;

Fig. 6, a transverse sectional view through the. finished longitudinal joint or the road, and

Fig. 7, a fragmentary transverse sectional view through a modified form of key lock or pan.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

The road form indicated generally at Hl may be formed of sheet metal in sections of suitable length, and, as shown in the drawing, may comprise the horizontal bottom flange adapted to may terminate in the downturned edge portion Sections of this road form are located in alignment longitudinally along the roadway at. the

point or points where the longitudinal Joints between lanes are to be located.

The improved slab lock' key or pan forming an important part of the invention is indicated generally at it. These pans are formed of sheet metal and may be of geenrally oval shape, as best shown in Fig. 2, being provided with straight upper and lower edges I1 and rounded ends it, the entire outer contour of each pan being surrounded by a flared flange I9 terminating in the angular edge portion 20. I

The central portion of each upper and lower flange l9 of'the pan is provided with a socket. or

'depression 2| flared outwardly from the body of contact with the adjacent side of the road form 7 ill in the manner shown in Fig; 4, the pans being preferably spaced about flve feet apart along the entire length of the roadform.

Each stake is provided with a pair of diverging spring tongues 26 stamped out from the stake and sprung inward so as to irictionally engage in the sockets or depressions 2|, with their ends located through the slots 22, as shown in Fig. '7, the tongues, if desired, may be provided with the inturned hooked ends 21 for engagement in the slots 22.

To attach the pan upon the stake the tongues 26 are located in the depressions or sockets2l or the pan with the ends thereof located through the slots 22 in the pan, as best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. The pan is thus rigidly supported in proper position upon the stake and will be held in this position until the concrete is poured,

, ing horizontal flange H at its upperedge which 55 after which the pan may be removed by disengaging the ends of the tongues from the slots 22 so that the pan may be removed, leaving an oval tapered socket in the concrete at this point.

The dowel bar may be in the form or a 'metal rod 28 having one end kinked as at 2! and downturned as at 30 terminating in the outturned horizontal end portion 3| adapted to be rested upon the sub-grade II when the central portion oi! the bar is located through the aperture 23 in the pan II. The other end portion of the bar is bent at right angles so as to lie within the pan as best shown in Figs. 2 and 4 and terminates in the downwardly hooked end 32.

After the concretehas been poured on one side or the roadway, the road form I 0 is removed and the bent back angular portion of the dowel bar is bent out to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 4, after which'the pan ll may be detached from the stake 24 and removed, thus,

leaving the one half or the dowel bar embedded in a slab of concrete as indicated at 34 and provided at spaced intervals with the oval tapered sockets 35.

The concrete is then poured upon the other side of the road as indicated at 38 embedding the other half of the dowel bar therein and forming tapered oval tongues or lugs 31 within the sockets 35, thus, providing slab lock keys for locking the two slabs of concrete against relative vertical movement alongthe longitudinal joint and embedding the dowel bars in both slabs so as to provide for load transfer along the longitudinal joint.

It should be understood that the usual premolded expansion joints as indicated at 38 are located at spaced intervals transversely of the roadway and preferably at points close to one oi! the dowels above described, as indicated in Fig. 1.

I claim:

1. A dowel structure for concrete roads including a sheet metal slab lock key in the form of a pan having a flat wall and a continuous, torwardly flared flange around its entire edge, the central upper and lower portions of the flange having slots therein, a stake for supporting the slab lock key, and a pair of diverging spring tongues upon the stake for frictionally engaging the upper and lower portions 01 the flange and having their ends located through said slots.

2. A dowel structure for concrete roads including a sheet metal slab lock key in the form of a pan having a flat wall and a continuous, forwardly flared flange around its entire edge, the central upper and lower portions of the flange having slots therein, a stake for supporting the slab lock key and a pair of diverging spring tongues upon said stake having hooked ends for engaging said slots.

FRANCIS O. HELTZEL. 

